Beatrice Chebet Breaks 10K World Record at Prefontaine Classic

Chebet sat on Tsegay for almost 22 of the race’s 25 laps. As they were about to lap a group of four runners, Chebet moved into the second lane and immediately gapped Tsegay, who got caught behind the lapped runners.

Chebet accelerated slightly over the next two laps, and then removed any doubt about the record and the win by covering her final lap in 63.63 seconds. She covered her second 5,000 meters in 14:23.06, a world-class time on its own.

“When I go for the last two laps, I just get motivated, I say, ‘Let me push the last 400,’” she told reporters after the race.

Tsegay was second in 29:05.92. She is now the third-fastest woman in history at the distance.

Lilian Kasait Rengeruk of Kenya was third in 29:26.89, and Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi, also of Kenya, was fourth in 29:27.59.

The race served as the Olympic Trials for Kenya, with the top two Kenyan finishers, Chebet and Rengeruk, automatically earning berths on the Olympic team in the event for Paris.

Chebet, 24, looked unpressed throughout and must now be considered a gold-medal threat in this event for the Olympic final on August 9.

She said she will run both the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters in Paris. “For me, I am happy, to be the first time on the Olympic team,” she said. “With good health, I know I am going to medal at the Olympics.”

Chebet said Tsegay was gracious in her words after the race. “She told me, ‘You are the best, you are strong.’”

The conditions in Oregon were favorable for fast distance running: the temperature was 58 degrees, the skies were overcast, and there was little wind during the race. Plus, a rowdy crowd filled the lower level of Hayward Field, cheering loudly for Chebet as she kept pace with the pace lights set for 29 minutes, and ultimately getting ahead of them.

Sarah Lorge Butler is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and fascinating individuals have appeared in Runner’s World since 2005. She is the author of two popular fitness books, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!